2021–2023 Licensure Renewal Update: Rules Filed to Remove In-Person CE Requirement

Update: The state officially removed the in-person requirement July 2023. To learn more goto: https://www.naswil.org/post/idfpr-officially-removes-in-person-ce-requirement

The NASW-Illinois Chapter met again with Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation (IDFPR) officials who informed us that rules have been drafted by lawyers for a proposal that will entirely remove the in-person continuing education requirement from licensure renewal. The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) will be posting a draft of the proposed language tomorrow to their site. The rule will then next enter a period for public comment which we encourage you to participate in. Once the public comment period has passed, the new rule will be voted on and likely passed, at which point, the in-person requirement for continuing education will be completely removed as a licensure requirement for LSWs and LCSWs.

Update 02/03/23: JCAR has posted the proposed language here (pg. 3, subsection titled "Social Workers"). To make comments on the rulemakings through 03/20/23, contact Craig Cellini, DFPR, 320 W. Washington, 2nd Floor, Springfield IL 62786, 217/785-0810, Fax: 217/557-4451.

Update 03/27/23: Now that the deadline for public opinion has passed, please stay tuned here or to the NASW-Illinois Chapter website for updates if/when new rules have been adopted. Alternatively you can check on the progress yourself and read the weekly JCAR Flinn Report to see the announcement if/when rules have been adopted. Once rules have been officially adopted and announced, the in-person CEU requirement will be officially removed.

UPDATE 06/15/23: The department has been telling our members that they will be removing the in-person requirement this cycle but until rules have been officially adopted and changed, we are unable to report any update on the removal of the in-person requirement.

UPDATE 07/05/23: JCAR has posted 2nd notice of the upcoming rule change. There were no substantive changes to the proposed rule which is tentatively scheduled to be considered by JCAR later this month on July 18th in Chicago.

While there is much to do to update our website pages and articles with this new proposed rule, please know that we will be pushing out updated communication on this new ruling in the coming hours and days. While the process still needs to move forward, we fully anticipate that the current requirement that 50% of total CE hours be obtained through in-person instruction will be removed from the current and future licensure renewal cycles.

Thanks to the strength and power of the NASW membership, we were able to push for removal of the in-person CEU requirement. Want to continue seeing rule changes like these that modernize and make more accessible Illinois' CEU requirements for renewal? Help us continue advocating for the profession by joining or renewing your NASW membership.